Discovery Zone
Discovery Zone is a collection of free resources designed to support individual and classroom explorations of Shakespeare’s texts. Suitable for students of a broad range of ages, experience levels, and learning styles, Discovery Zone invites individuals to bring their own unique identities and perspectives to their understanding of Shakespeare.
Use this handy curriculum planner to see how these resources will serve your classroom needs. Detailed curriculum alignment documents and rubrics are on their way!
Coming soon: a screen reader-friendly, plain text version of the resources.
Creative Commons License
The Discovery Zone resources are provided under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license. You may copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format, on condition that you credit Mary Hartman and Bard on the Beach Theatre Society, your use is non-commercial, and that you do not distribute any derivative works. Learn more about this creative commons license.
Making Shakespeare Your Own
These resources provide entry points to explorations of Shakespeare’s plays that are inquiry-based and student-centred. These activities focus on the language and the myriad ways it can resonate, and each corresponds to a section of A Shakesperience, Bard’s free video introduction to Shakespeare’s plays.
What do you mean by that saying? Unpacking famous quotes
Play with a free flashcard version with an expanded list of quotes.
Imagery | Character | Language/Vocabulary | Critical thinking | Creative writing | Text analysis
The Shakespeare Shuffle: Playing with Syntax
Text analysis | Language/Vocabulary | Critical thinking
Insults & Exalts: Big, playful, expressive words
There’s also a shorter list of simpler words.
Language/Vocabulary | Drama-based activity
We shall remain in friendship: Short scenes to bring to life
Character | Language/Vocabulary | Critical thinking | Drama-based activity | Text analysis
Know you the character? A mini-character explorer
Character | Language/Vocabulary | Drama-based activity | Critical thinking | Creative writing | Text analysis
Speak what we feel: The emotions behind the lines
Explore an expanded list of quotes with our free flashcard version.
Language/Vocabulary | Critical thinking | Drama-based activity | Text analysis
Speak freely what you think: Being silenced and speaking out
Language/Vocabulary | Critical thinking | Drama-based activity | Text analysis
Not an easy matter: Contrasting attitudes towards warfare
Imagery | Character | Language/Vocabulary | Critical thinking | Creative writing | Text analysis | Drama-based activity
To truths translated: Shakespeare in other languages
Language/Vocabulary | Critical thinking | Creative writing | Text analysis
A Bard Among Many: Learning about other great storytellers
Language/Vocabulary | Critical thinking | Creative writing
Shakespeare’s Weird Words
This collection focuses on the language in Shakespeare’s plays that might be unfamiliar or unexpected. Four handouts break it all down, or use this fun, flash-card approach to the complete Weird Words collection.
Language/Vocabulary | Text analysis | Critical thinking | Creative writing
Weird Words #1: Pronouns and Verb Forms
Weird Words #2: Yes, No, Contractions and Shortened Forms
Exploring Shakespeare’s Imagery
This collection invites students to explore image-rich lines of text and discover how these lines resonate with them.
Imagery | Language/Vocabulary | Drama-based activity | Creative writing | Text analysis
Imagery Explorer #1: Short, Simple Images
Exploring Shakespeare’s Characters
This collection invites students to explore specific characters and create their own ideas about who these characters might be. We embrace a broad understanding of the characters in Shakespeare’s plays so that anyone can identify with them and see themselves reflected, if they so choose.
Character | Language/Vocabulary | Drama-based activity | Critical thinking | Creative writing | Text analysis
From A Midsummer Night’s Dream:
Character Explorer: Puck
Character Explorer: Titania
From Hamlet:
Character Explorer: Hamlet
Character Explorer: Ophelia
From Macbeth:
Character Explorer: Macbeth
Character Explorer: Lady Macbeth
Character Explorer: The Weird Sisters/Witches
From Romeo & Juliet:
Character Explorer: Juliet
Character Explorer: Romeo
A Closer Look At... Speeches!
These resources take a deep dive into selected speeches from a variety of plays. They break down the thoughts, illuminate the images, inspire text analysis, and invite personal connections.
From A Midsummer Night’s Dream:
“How happy some o’er other some can be…”
Imagery | Character | Language/Vocabulary | Text Analysis | Critical Thinking | Creative Writing | Drama-based Activity
“These are the forgeries of jealousy…”
Imagery | Character | Language/Vocabulary | Text Analysis | Critical Thinking | Creative Writing | Drama-based Activity
From Hamlet:
“I have, of late, but wherefore I know not, lost all my mirth…”
Character | Language/Vocabulary | Text Analysis | Critical Thinking | Creative Writing | Drama-based Activity | Mature Topics
“…This above all, to thine own self be true…”
Character | Language/Vocabulary | Text Analysis | Critical Thinking | Creative Writing | Drama-based Activity
From Macbeth:
“If it were done when ‘tis done…”
Imagery | Character | Language/Vocabulary | Text Analysis | Critical Thinking | Creative Writing | Drama-based Activity
From Romeo & Juliet:
“But soft, what light through yonder window breaks…”
Imagery | Character | Language/Vocabulary | Text Analysis | Critical Thinking | Creative Writing | Drama-based Activity
“Gallop apace, you fiery-footed steeds…”
Imagery | Character | Language/Vocabulary | Text Analysis | Critical Thinking | Creative Writing | Drama-based Activity
“The clock struck nine when I did send the Nurse…”
Imagery | Character | Language/Vocabulary | Text Analysis | Critical Thinking | Creative Writing | Drama-based Activity
From other plays (and a sonnet!):
“All the World’s a Stage…” from As You Like It
Character | Language/Vocabulary | Text Analysis | Critical Thinking | Creative Writing | Drama-based Activity
“Friends, Romans, Countrymen…” from Julius Caesar
Character | Language/Vocabulary | Text Analysis | Critical Thinking | Creative Writing | Drama-based Activity
“O, for a muse of fire…” from Henry the Fifth
Imagery | Language/Vocabulary | Text Analysis | Critical Thinking | Creative Writing | Drama-based Activity
“O, hateful hands to tear such loving words…” from The Two Gentlemen of Verona
Imagery | Character | Language/Vocabulary | Text Analysis | Critical Thinking | Creative Writing | Drama-based Activity
“…Our revels now are ended…” from The Tempest
Imagery | Character | Language/Vocabulary | Text Analysis | Critical Thinking | Creative Writing | Drama-based Activity
“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day…” Sonnet 18
Imagery | Language/Vocabulary | Text Analysis | Critical Thinking | Creative Writing
Basic Background: Who's Who and What Happens
This collection provides brief descriptions of the characters and plots in a range of plays. We hope our neutral approach to these descriptions allows for a wide range of access, connection, and interpretation.
Character | Story/Plot
Who’s Who in A Midsummer Night’s Dream
What Happens in A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Who’s Who in Hamlet
What Happens in Hamlet
Who’s Who in Macbeth
What Happens in Macbeth
Who’s Who in Romeo & Juliet
What Happens in Romeo & Juliet
Acknowledgements
The resources in Discovery Zone were created by Mary Hartman, with the support of the wonderful Bard Education Administrative Team: Katie Johnstone, Santana Berryman, and Samantha Levy. Special acknowledgement goes to former team member Melanie Hiepler, for fantastic graphic design, insightful feedback, and masterful wrangling of the myriad elements of this complex project. We’re grateful for the input of schoolteachers from across BC, especially Cheryl Angst, Robert Manery, Sharlene Prasad, and Katrina Thomson. Big thanks also to our awesome volunteer proofreader Gillian Walker. The project was supported by the extraordinary professionals from Project Management Volunteers, Tolu Oloruntoba, Bernadette Andrade, Harla Sidhu, and David Nimmo. We are grateful for the community spirit and collaborative efforts with which Discovery Zone is built.
Discovery Zone was primarily created in Metro Vancouver on the ancestral lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh, and other Coast Salish First Nations. We acknowledge, too, that many of our collaborators made their contributions from the ancestral lands of other First Nations.
If you have questions, feedback, or requests, please email [email protected]. We welcome your input!
Thanks to the support of the London Drugs Foundation and Bard on the Beach, all resources in Discovery Zone are FREE!
